


Feverfew

by fairyfires



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: ... all the other things I've written are full of angst and drama who am I kidding, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, I just wanted something light and happy, I'm back in UD hell, I've written thousands of words worth of fics for this game but this is the first thing I'm posting, Just Gay Nerds, M/M, No Angst, No Drama, Sick Character, Sickfic, THAT'S ALL I WANT, let them be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 20:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11721660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyfires/pseuds/fairyfires
Summary: Chris Hartley comes down with a fever on the group's annual trip to the ski lodge, and it's absolutely Josh Washington's fault.





	Feverfew

**Author's Note:**

> I've been feeling sick and gross for a few days for no discernible reason, and I wanted to cheer myself up with something lighthearted. So I'm making Chris suffer with me.  
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 Chris woke to the feeling of a hand carding through his messy hair. Someone was saying something - it sounded suspiciously like his name, but he couldn’t be entirely sure. He was too tired to focus clearly.

“ _Chris_ ,” the voice repeated, an amused insistence to the tone. It was closer now; the hand in his hair shifted to cup his cheek, soothing his fever-flushed skin. Without much thought, he turned his head into the other’s palm. However disjointed his thoughts were at the moment, he knew whose hand it was, at the very least. Josh’s thumb stroked over his cheekbone, and he could hear him snicker under his breath. What he found amusing, of course, was entirely beyond Chris. He hurt all over, and it was this asshole’s fault. “C’mon, Cochise, wake up. You gotta eat, dude.” Chris groaned under his breath, pulling the blankets up to his nose. Waking up was not at the top of his list of priorities - and honestly, neither was eating. The thought alone was unappealing. Josh flicked his nose lightly to keep him from falling asleep again, and Chris had half the mind to kick at him. He opened his eyes wearily; even with the blinds closed and curtains drawn, the lights left off and the door closed, it was impossibly bright. He squinted at Josh, who was crouched by the edge of the bed at eye level; he had that ridiculous grin on his face, and a bowl of soup in the hand that wasn’t currently rested against his face.

“You’re a _dick_ ,” Chris said decisively.

“Sorry,” Josh huffed out with a laugh, running his fingers through his hair gently. He decidedly didn’t sound that sorry about any of it. That didn’t stop Chris from leaning into his touch, of course. He worried for a moment if his hair felt gross, but Josh didn't seem to pay it any mind.

The morning prior, they had gone for an early walk in the woods; snow had been falling the previous night, and Chris wanted to get out for a while to spend some time alone with Josh. It was a perfect morning in his opinion. The snow was sparkling in the pale rosy-golden glow of the rising sun, disturbed only by the tracks of animals; the air was cool and fresh, as opposed to the stifling air of the city far below; and Josh’s gloved hand rested comfortably within his own, fingers laced together as they wandered aimlessly around the trails. Chris usually wasn't one for nature hikes, especially when it was so cold out - but there was an undeniable charm to the serenity of the forest in the morning, and if nothing else, it was an excuse to go take a thousand cheesy pictures with his boyfriend in the snow.

Eventually, they had come across a nice, peaceful creek in the woods, winding between the rocks and trees, ice forming across the calmer surfaces. Chris had let go of Josh’s hand for a moment to venture closer, hoping to see an interesting pattern on the ice, or maybe a small fish… and Josh had kicked him right in the ass the moment his back was turned, causing Chris to go floundering face-first into the frigid water. By the time Chris had scrabbled his way out of the water, he was soaked to the bone, and his fingers were already numb to the January  air - and Josh was outright cackling, apologizing breathlessly as he folded over himself, because _dude, oh my god, I didn’t think you’d actually fall in, I’m so sorry_.

If nothing else, at least he had given Chris his coat on the way back to the lodge. Luckily, they weren't terribly far, and he wasn't a walking icicle by the time they'd returned. It didn’t save him from coming down with a cold straight from hell, unfortunately.

“C’mon, babe. Gotta eat to get better,” Josh reminded him, holding up the bowl of soup. Chris opened his eyes again at the sound of his voice - had he drifted off there for a moment? He sighed, sniffling as he sat up slowly. He still had an awful headache, and he didn’t want to risk agitating it. The goal in mind wasn't exactly to make himself feel any worse.

“Did you _have_ to wake me up? Couldn’t you have just, like, waited until lunch…?” Chris groaned, taking the bowl with both hands, one still wrapped up in the blanket. Josh gave him a sly little smirk as his eyes glimmered with amusement, sliding into the bed next to him with an arm looped around the back of Chris’s neck.

“It’s three in the afternoon, bro. We all ate lunch two hours ago, and you were still snoozin’ away like Sleeping Beauty." He paused for a moment, cringing dramatically. " _Well_ …” Chris scowled at him, elbowing Josh before he picked up the spoon - but not a moment later, a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Even if he was a little pissy about being sick during their annual trip up the mountain thanks to Josh, he couldn’t actually stay upset; no matter the situation, being around Josh just made his heart feel lighter, and his worries seem distant. He could put up with a fever; especially if it meant he had an extra reason to cuddle up to the other.

“Should I be worried about what’s in this?” Chris asked, sipping carefully at the broth. After hours of nothing but room temperature ginger ale, the taste was almost enough to make him melt. Soup was the only good thing about being sick. “You’re not trying to kill me this time, are you? ‘Cause you’re not getting much money out of that, dude. I’ve got, like, eight dollars in my bank account right now.” Josh snorted, kicking his shoes off as he leaned back against the headboard, taking Chris with him. The support was welcome, really. Chris felt too miserable to sit upright without leaning on something, and Josh was much more comfortable than the wooden panels behind him.

“No way. Hannah made it. I love you, Cochise, but I’m not making soup from scratch just because you have the man flu,” Josh teased, pressing a kiss to his hairline. Chris dropped his spoon into the bowl, glaring at Josh best he could - which was likely ineffective, due to the flush of his face and the awful bedhead he was sporting. Judging by the little quiver of Josh's lips as he tried not to outright beam at him, his suspicions were not baseless. At least he wasn't pinching his cheeks like an asshole yet.

“ _My temperature is 102_ ,” he hissed, “I’m not making this shit up.”

Josh didn’t quite manage to suppress his laughter, chest shaking against Chris’s shoulder. “Alright, alright; I’m sorry. Do you want me to feed you your soup, bro? You’re obviously wasting away to nothing here. It’s the least I could do to see you off.”

“Oh my _god_.”

“ _What!?_ Did you see the light? What’s it like, Chris - what’s it like on the other side?”

Chris calmly held the bowl out to him; Josh accepted it slowly, fixing him with a puzzled look. “I want you to take this back to Hannah, and tell her it needs more arsenic.”

Luckily, he was allowed to eat in peace after that; Josh made the occasional jab at him, but mostly, he just recounted stories from the rest of their friends, or plans they had made for once he was feeling a little better, rubbing his shoulder soothingly all the while. He never said it plainly, but it was implied that Josh hadn't strayed far from the room; he had likely been fretting over Chris all day. Even if his fever was a minor one, he was sure that Josh would have acted just the same. As much as the blond teased him for acting like a mother hen the moment someone had so much as a splinter, it was an endearing trait. He fussed over all of his friends, in his own strange way. It wasn't always obvious to others - but Chris saw it clear as day.

Chris wasn’t sure if it was the fever pulling him under again, or if it was just the comfort of a full belly; but by the time he’d gotten halfway through the bowl, the spoon felt as if it were becoming exponentially heavier, and his eyelids were matching it pound for pound. The last thing he registered was Josh taking the bowl from his hands before it could slip, and his head falling against his boyfriend’s chest. Josh sighed softly, fixing the blankets around Chris meticulously as he got comfortable. He always had trouble falling asleep when he was sick; he was tired, yes, but finding a place to lay that didn't upset his stomach or irritate his achy head was a bit of a challenge. Resting against Josh made it easier on him, however. Chris felt exhausted as soon as he'd gotten himself situated, and even if he would have liked to have stayed awake and talked a while longer, his body was working against him. Josh kissed the top of his head just before he could drift off again, and a half-conscious smile quirked at the blond’s lips.

He was unsure of the credibility of his memory just then, but he was certain he’d heard an I-love-you before he fell into a dream he wouldn’t later recall.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
